The Wood For Trees!

Post-planting frivolity!

The Society would like to thank James and Jo Eaton-Brown who kindly donated some trees to be planted in the wood as a legacy from the day of their wedding. 

As a result, the biodiversity of our wood has increased as we now have a Wild Service Tree (Sorbus torminalis), a Bird Cherry (Prunus padus), a Small Leaved Lime (Tilia cordata) and a Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus). All of these are native species would have been familiar to our distant ancestors as, at the end of the last ice-age, would have been common all over the South of England. 

Sadly, they are not as widespread as they once were. Since the neolithic era, many of our woodlands were cleared wholesale to make room for crops and livestock, managed for the coppicing of sweet chestnut and hazel to supply the plethora of cannon-producing iron foundries in the area, planted with species such as oak to satisfy demand for timber for shipbuilding, or more lately replaced with larch, Norwegian and Sitka spruce plantations used for pulp. 

The trees were selected purposely to enhance biodiversity in the wood, and thus also increase its resilience to extreme events such as the 1987 'hurricane'! They have been planted by James (assisted by John) in the cleared area near to the wigwam. May they have a long and happy life. The trees and James and Jo!